AUSTIN – Texas’ Democratic Senate candidates spent their first debate assailing President Donald Trump, immigration enforcement and billionaire power, but they never once mentioned Sen. John Cornyn, the incumbent whose seat they are seeking.
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Instead, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico chiefly slammed GOP policies they said are hurting Texans, with Talarico casting Attorney General Ken Paxton as the real threat in the Republican primary – a signal, Cornyn said afterward on X, that Democrats are rooting for Paxton to win.
Cornyn dismissed that notion with a two-word jab: “They wish.”
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Crockett and Talarico, in a union-sponsored debate Saturday in Georgetown, repeatedly slammed the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions, and that prompted swift Republican counterattacks.
The exchange highlighted how immigration remains a friction point in the campaign, with Democrats criticizing federal tactics and Republicans portraying both candidates as soft on border security.
Crockett said she opposed additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, calling it a “rogue organization” and arguing “we need to clean house from top to bottom.”
Talarico said that “it’s time to tear down this secret police force” and replace it with an agency “that actually is going to focus on public safety.”
KXAN-TV’s Daniel Marin and Dallas Morning News’ Gromer Jeffers moderate a debate between primary candidates for U.S. Senate, Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, during the Texas AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Convention, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Georgetown, Texas. (Bob Daemmrich/Texas Tribune via AP, Pool)
Bob Daemmrich / AP
In response, Cornyn said the Democrats were embracing “radical policies” that are “unhinged and wrong for Texas.”
Paxton posted that voters were hearing “the deranged ramblings of two radical” Democrats who want to abolish ICE.
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston is the other main Republican candidate in the March 3 Senate primary.
Meanwhile, national Republicans circulated a shortened clip that omitted part of Talarico’s response about border security. The National Republican Senatorial Committee posted a video with only his line that “our southern border should be like our front porch… a giant welcome mat out front,” suggesting that he’s for open borders.
That drew pushback from Democrats, who shared the full quote on social media: “There should be a giant welcome mat out front and a lock on the door.” The GOP’s truncated version, critics said, cut his emphasis on keeping out those who “mean to do us harm.”
Paxton scrutiny
Paxton surfaced in the debate largely as shorthand for corruption and a November target. Talarico said he and Crockett were focused on “stopping a senator Ken Paxton.”
Talarico branded Paxton “the most corrupt politician in America” and cited his vote to impeach Paxton in the Texas Legislature over corruption allegations. Talarico said he “evaluated all the evidence” before voting “my conscience.”
The GOP-led House impeached Paxton, and the Senate later acquitted him.
On other issues, the Democratic contenders painted billionaires as a driving force behind economic inequality and political influence.
Talarico said “three men own as much wealth as the entire middle class,” naming Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. He said the ultra-wealthy aren’t “just buying yachts and jets, they are buying power,” while public schools and social programs are being squeezed.
Crockett said Republicans have delivered massive tax breaks to billionaires while pulling nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and Medicare. She proposed restoring higher tax rates on the wealthy to fund health care, education and food access.
Republicans have rejected that approach, warning that higher taxes would stifle job creation and investment.
Immigration
Democratic Senate candidates Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico used a debate Saturday to criticize federal immigration enforcement, calling for major changes to how border security and immigration policy are handled.
Crockett: She said she opposed increased funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing the agency has become a “rogue organization” that is violating the law and targeting people it was never intended to pursue. She promoted transparency efforts to help families locate detained relatives and strengthen oversight.
Talarico: He said ICE should be dismantled and replaced with an agency focused on public safety rather than community raids. He said enforcement should prioritize cartels and traffickers, not families, and described the border as a “front porch,” pairing a “welcome mat” for lawful immigration with a “lock on the door” for those who pose a threat.